Jan. 30: And then there were two

So, Edwards dropped out of the race today. I was sorta bummed, but either Clinton or Obama are okay with me so all is not lost. Both have acceptable coiffure (I was never sold on John's 'do).

I remember way back when Bill Clinton first ran for president that it seemed fairly obvious early in the race he would be elected. I think the country was ready for a change after 12 years of Reagan/Bush. And when that jackass G.W. ran, even though I certainly didn't want him to be president, the country appeared to want a more conservative guy in charge. I hated that Bush "won," but it wasn't a huge surprise. Now that he's proven to be a bigger jackass than anyone thought possible, it seems clear to me that we're ready to get a Democrat back in office. But maybe I'm delusional and/or totally biased. With all the talk of candidates and issues these days, it really is hard to stand back and get a feel for what the general population wants; it's easier to choose a side than be objective right now.

What do I think? How nice of you to ask! The social issues are a big deal to me. I do not want Roe v. Wade to be overturned. I don't understand why people are threatened by gay marriage. Same with stem cell research. Next important, for me, is the war. Our soldiers have done the job they were sent to do and it's time for them to come home. I side with Democratic goals for our environment.

Social security, welfare reform, healthcare, immigration, etc. are areas that I'm less decided upon. I definitely want to research these things further, and will be doing that over the next few months.

My friend Chris has assembled a chart, admittedly biased, of the major candidates and their positions on the big issues. Check it out. I also encourage you to take a stand visually by doing some shopping at Stamp and Shout.

I'm still hoping for this write-in:

They may be the only guys who definitely know how to pronounce "nuclear."